QTA and Qatar Airways Extend ‘Free’ Stopover Offer in Qatar

Phase 1 of +Qatar campaign generates 34% increase in number of stopover visitors

Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) and Qatar Airways announced that they will continue offering their attractive stopover package until the end of the year, following the excellent results from phase one.

The enticing offer – part of a broader +Qatar campaign – encourages all transit passengers to add Qatar to their travel plans, providing transit passengers with an opportunity to discover the country. The offer includes free luxury hotel stays and complimentary transit visas. Initially planned to run from May until the end of summer, the offer will continue until 31 December. During its initial run, the country welcomed 34% more transit passengers compared to the same period in 2016.

QTA and Qatar Airways said that the offer will now be extended to passengers booking their travel through tour operators, allowing more people to benefit from the offer of a free overnight stay in a luxury hotel or a two-night stay for the discounted price of US $100. In addition to the hotel accommodation, QTA and Qatar Airways are also offering a free stopover city tour, which can be booked on arrival at Hamad International Airport.

According to Rashed Al Qurese, Chief Marketing and Promotion Officer at QTA, the 100,000th customer of the stopover city tour will be welcomed this month, a demonstration of the popularity of this offering.

We are delighted to extend the +Qatar offer to Qatar Airways passengers, and look forward to welcoming more stopover visitors to Qatar. Over the past eight months, we have seen the portion of our leisure visitors who are also stopover visitors, almost double, showing that our strategy to promote Qatar as a stopover destination is on track.

We have also seen the numbers of visitors from Europe and the Americas increase over the past period, demonstrating the impact of our efforts to diversify Qatar’s visitor source markets. In the coming period, the +Qatar campaign will be particularly geared towards Australian, African and European travellers.’

Ehab Amin, Qatar Airways Chief Commercial Officer said that through the exclusive offer, their stopover passengers will have the opportunity to add Qatar to their travel plans, stay at some of Doha’s finest hotels and enjoy the country’s renowned hospitality.

Passengers can select from hotels including The Four Seasons, Marriott Marquis, Radisson Blu and Oryx Rotana. The city tours, organised by Discover Qatar, will offer passengers the opportunity to explore Doha and experience desert safari adventures or a dinner cruise aboard a traditional dhow, giving visitors a taste of Qatar’s authentic hospitality.

To be eligible for this offer, passengers simply need to book their flight on qatarairways.com, select ‘multi-city’ and choose their hotel once they receive their flight confirmation. This ground-breaking offer is available for all Qatar Airways passengers, both Premium and Economy. To maximise their time in Qatar, visitors can also explore additional stopover packages offered by Discover Qatar.

For more information about the +Qatar offer extension, visit the QTA website.